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Kuwabara Clan
The Kuwabara clan (桑原一族, Kuwabara Ichizoku) were prominent nobles of the now former Castle Country (城の国, "Jō no Kuni", VIZ; "Land of Castles"). They were famous for their inherent war-making talent and notorious kekkei genkai, Magatama. After a calamitous coup d'état, the clan—and their once prosperous land—was split apart, many believing them to have gone extinct several centuries ago. 'Background' 'Origins' According to the legend, "many moons ago" a priestly scribe of meticulous skill serving at the pleasure of a young king observed the clouds that circled over his lord's castle. The storm clouds were said to remain in the skies above for several months, the king becoming more anxious as the days passed. Advisers and priests in the land believed this phenomenon to be a foretelling from the heavens, predicting calamity. Eventually, all those who left the king's castle were struck by an unusually quick and powerful bolt of lightning, instantly being incinerated. The king was unable to leave his estate in fear that he too would succumb to this presage. Suspecting that the lightning was the work of a Vengeful Spirit (怨霊, "Onryō", VIZ; "Vengeful Ghost"), the scribe urged the king to allow him to approach and appease the spirit. His name was Kuwabara. Preparing his priestly tools and artifacts, Kuwabara went out into the castle's courtyard. The vengeful spirit whose name was unknown spoke with the priest, detailing how he was once a honorable noble of the land and was exiled to a border province up until his death. His wrath had become so great that he haunted the place of his banishment until the king who banished him died as he did. The heavy grudge would not be lifted until the king emerged from the castle to accept his fate. Knowing full well that the king could and would do no such thing, Kuwabara instead offered himself up instead of the king. Accepting the trade-off, spirit struck Kuwabara with a mighty thunderbolt. Instead of dying, however, the spirit granted a great deal of responsibility and power to the man—so long as he lived in the land it would never be struck with lightning nor experience great misfortune. When it proved to be true, people in this land and abroad would whisper in a low, thunder-like grunt "Kuwabara Kuwabara", so as to ward off lightning and misfortune. Ones would even wear charms with his name etched or painted into them in hopes that they would only experience fortune in their lives. The clan's symbol—a magatama—was said to became a good fortune charm for those who wore it. Kuwabara would come to find that he was imbued with a potent life force and extraordinary affinity for lightning. In fact, the spirit would live on inside of Kuwabara for the rest of his life. He would pass these same endowments on to his offspring up until his death at an unusually old age. 'Clan Establishment and Coup D'état' Not-before-long, Kuwabara became father to several children, many of which birthed different mothers. With his offspring inheriting his powerful abilities, new ones developed. His children and wives would become known as the Kuwabara clan and as they grew older, many of them joined what had now become the Castle Country (城の国, "Jō no Kuni", VIZ; "Land of Castles") military. Because of their battle-prowess, immense intellectual abilities and overall competence, it was not uncommon for them to become high-ranking officials. It was during such times that the Kuwabara became known as an intense war making family. Their fame reached far and wide. Not only where they a "good-luck" charm to the king's territory, but they were also great warriors—swords and shields. The king was said to have become hot with jealousy, fearing that the Kuwabara had the influence to one day usurp his dominion. Some say that they actually had plans to do so. The king waited until Kuwabara had died; the morning after he ordered a coup d'état. The clan was to be led into a clearing at sunrise without their horses or weapons to be eradicated. After a great battle, many of them had died, few escaping. With Kuwabara now dead and his namesake strewed throughout the lands in secrecy, the Land of Palaces had fallen out of grace with the grudge-some spirit. That night disastrous thunderstorms ravished the Castle Country, destroying everything. The king's castle was struck with the greatest bolt used, causing it and everyone inside of it to crumble. With such wide-spread devastation the government had fallen and pieces were taken over by neighboring countries. Few even remember that it existed. 'Present Day' There are still Kuwabara clansmen alive today. They are spread about throughout the earth, supposedly in small numbers. Most people, however, assume them to be extinct without a single person left. 'Abilities' 'Life Force and Chakra Reserves' Blessed with a magnanimous life force, it is no wonder why the chakra levels of those within the clan are so high. Their life force is said to be greatest of any earthly clan, enough to sustain themselves, and should the need arise, others while still retaining their lives. Such a level of life energy present them the power to survive otherwise devastating attacks and make the Kuwabara prime hosts for the tailed beasts. Some have noted that their life force is so large and muscular that it can be perceived, even by those who are not perception types. In the past, many of the Kuwabara have created medical techniques which use their life force to heal instead of chakra, following the lead of the original Kuwabara. As many with large life forces do, the Kuwabara live for longer-than-normal periods of time. Their natural affinity for nature transformations is Lightning Release (雷遁, "Raiton", English TV; "Lightning Style"). 'Physiology' The abilities of the Kuwabara come from the lightning spirit which struck their progenitor, bestowing upon him and his offspring unquestionable electrical prowess and an unprecedented physical composition. Distinctive in part for their rare and warped physiology, the Kuwabara are unique from those of even their own species. Most notably might be their body's superabundance of nerve cells and exuberant nervous tissue. Because of this excess, their limbs experience what is called the Electric Phenomenon (電現象, "Dengenshō", English TV; "Lightning Miracle"), the independence of the body's appendages in regards to reflexes and quick movement. In a way, it is as though the arms and legs have a mind of their own, similarly to the tentacles of an octopus. Their are four times as many neurons in their bodies than normal, requiring four times as much energy to function than would usually be required, especially so when one is engaging in fast-paced combat. It takes time and diligence to train the body to become accustomed this and most never truly get a handle of it. Located under the spleen is an electric organ, identical in many ways to what electric fish produce in nature. Created within the Kuwabara from morphed nervous and muscle tissue, this organ produces an electric field used for navigation, communication, defense and also sometimes even attacks. This production and manipulation of electricity is not a result of Lightning Release, but electrogenesis by means of special cells. When combined with chakra, the power crosses a new, more powerful threshold. Because of their make up, the Kuwabara are all but immune to electrocution, even beneath water. 'Kekkei Genkai' 'Magatama' As a result of their Nervous System being extraordinarily closely entangled with the Chakra Network, the Kuwabara are programmed with a mind-boggling physique. Magatama (曲玉, "Curved Ball" VIZ; "Brilliant Jewel") is a kekkei genkai which gives its wielder the ability to manipulate ones own nervous system (their central and peripheral). Through infusing their nervous tissue with chakra, users control the growth and properties of their nerves in whatever degree they please. This unprecedented skill creates in those who possess the bloodline a cognitive capacity that far outperforms those of the same species. 'Hakkegan' The Hakkegan (八卦眼, "Eight Diagrams Eye", English TV; "Eye of Foretelling", Viz; "Healing Eyes") is the lesser-known dōjutsu kekkei genkai of the Kuwabara clan that appears selectively among its members. It is known for its ability to facilitate healing from considerable distances and at alarming rates. HakkeD2wi.png Shaded2.png DamChu2.png 'Also See' * Chūkode * Jubokko 'Trivia' * Fitting with the nature and lore of the clan, Kuwabara can also be translated to mean (桑原) "Charm to Ward of Lightning and Misfortune". ** "Kuwabara kuwabara" (桑原桑原) is a phrase used in the Japanese language to ward off lightning. It is analogous to the English phrase "knock on wood" to prevent bad luck. ** The word kuwabara literally means mulberry field. According to one explanation, there is a Chinese legend that mulberry trees are not struck by lightning. The origin of kuwabara is not definitely known, but it has nothing to do with mulberry plants, though it means 'mulberry fields.' * The "vengeful spirit" mentioned in the origins of the story is based on Sugawara no Michizane (菅原道真), a scholar, poet, and politician who turned into a vengeful demon after death. * The clan's arms and legs being able to act "independently" of the brain is reminiscent of an octopus' tentacles and a human's stomach—each have a nervous system of their own. * Unlike most other clans that exist today, the Kuwabara did not receive their power from the distribution of chakra by the Sage of Six Paths.